Many real-life hobbies and interests make their way into the gaming space.
If you’ve got green fingers, you may be surprised how abstract the theme is, and there are multiple games from many genres vying for your attention.
If you’re into plants, here’s a selection of games you’ll enjoy.
10Stardew Valley
The Obligatory Pick
Stardew Valley
Let’s get the obvious candidate out of the way first.Stardew Valleyis often featured on our lists at Dualshockers because it’s the best at so many things.
If you’ve been living under a rock,Stardew Valleyis abeautifulfarming simulatorwhereyou can do just about anything, from raising livestock to fighting slimes in the mines.
Naturally, you can go all in ongrowing and selling cropsand flowers. There are some big bucks to be made selling your produce, and you can use those spoils to expand the farm.
There’s so much to do inStardew Valleythat I couldn’t realistically cover it all here. If you come for the plants and crops, you may just spend hundreds more hours on everything else.
9Plants Vs. Zombies
Plants vs. Zombies
ThePlants Vs. Zombiesseries is massive, with several popular titles to its name.
Honestly, you could have a good time with any of them, butmy recommendation is the original. If you’ve never played,PVZis aTower Defense gamethat’s simple on the surface and surprisingly complex as you progress.
As the name suggests, you enlist plant-based characters to repel a horde of zombies. You have afantastic assortment of plants to choose from, including the Sea Shroom, Peashooter, and Cherry Bomb. Each unit has pros and cons, and you must be strategic to make the most of them.
The series branched out into third-person shooter territory withGarden Warfareand is still excellent if you enjoy the genre.
8Garden Simulator
Another Great “Simulator”
Key Information
PRODUKTIVKELLER Studios
Release Date
September 2022
Simulator games have exploded in popularity over recent years, and most areimpressively robust and well-made.
Garden Simulatorcontinues the trend with a high-quality sim that will have you doing everything fromtiling soil to intricately decorating flower beds. The attention to detail is, frankly, ridiculous, and if you can envision a garden, the chances are that you can recreate it.
While there is plenty to do, thegameplay mechanics are notably pretty basic. It makes the title accessible, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but gardening aficionados may feel a little limited.
Still, if you’re a sim game fan and want to test your green fingers,Garden Simulatoris a great place to do it.
7Garden Flipper (House Flipper)
Drive Up That House Value!
House Flipper
I feel a bit cheeky adding a DLC to the list, but if The Game Awards can do it withElden Ring, so can I.
Garden Flipperis anexpansion toHouse Flipper, a game where you renovate run-down houses and try to sell them for a profit.House Flipperhas many DLCs, andGarden Flippertakes the core gameplay loop outside.
Thegardening tools are surprisingly in-depth. You can lay down turf and patios, and there’s a decent assortment of flowers and plants. Most gardens require a lot of maintenance before you can get to the fun part, but it wouldn’t beHouse Flipperwithout getting down and dirty.
If you’re interested, keep in mind thatHouse Flipper1&2 both receive frequent updates, butGarden Flipperis exclusive to the original.
The Only Plant I Can Be Trusted With
Zoe Vartanian
August 2015
Viridiis arelaxing simulatorwhere you grow and care for a succulent.
The most notable feature ofViridiis thateverything takes place in real-time. You must occasionally water your plant, but the idea is for you to periodically log in, manage your succulent, and return later. It’s a hands-off title that isn’t dissimilar to anIdle game.
The soundtrack is decent, and the base game iscompletely free on Steam. If you’re like me and know even a plastic plant would die under your supervision,Viridiis a perfect addition to your library.
5Strange Horticulture
When A Florist Meets The Occult
Strange Horticulture
Strange Horticultureis anOccult Puzzle gamewhere you run a Florist of the same name.
Customers inStrange Horticulturedemand a little more care than in your average shop management sim. Instead of simply selling plants,you must identify them firstusing descriptions and pictures from a book, which gradually fills up as you play the game.
In many ways,Strange Horticultureplays like a detective game. Often, the descriptions in the book are too vague to go on without sifting for clues. The game isn’t afraid to throw a few curveballs at you either, with flavor text that isn’t always useful.
I’m a sucker for observation and detective games, soStrange Horticultureis an easy recommendation for me, and it’s a great concept I’ve not seen before.
10 Best Indie Games On Steam Deck
The Steam Deck is an absolute beast of a handheld, able to run just about any indie game you could want, and these are the best.
4Botany Manor
Full Of Mysteries
Botany Manor
Botany Manoris a gorgeousfirst-person puzzlerthat triumphantly strolls intocozy game territory.
You play as a retired botanist on theirquest to finish writing a bookon the world’s “Forgotten Flora.” You do this by solving puzzles around an old English manor, most of which are well-thought-out.
Clues for each puzzle are scattered around the manor, forcing somelight searching and deduction. There are no threats or combat, and you can tackle everything at your own pace.
Botany Manorisn’t a gardening game, as you may expect from the title. Still, it’s an inspired puzzler with flowers at the root of every mystery.
3Plant Therapy
As Relaxing As It Sounds
Plant Therapyis a wonderfullyrelaxing plant-collecting gamewhere you can decorate your own apartment.
Gameplay in Plant Therapy is pretty simple, but that’s the beauty of it.Fill your room with various plants from the florist, and they will slowly generate income so you can create the apartment of your dreams.
There’s an impressive selection of plants to collect, and as long as you remember to water and fertilize them, you’ll have a great time. On that note,watering and fertilizing can be disabledif you’re after a purely cozy experience.
Surprisingly,Plant Therapyis free on Steam, and if you really love it, there are optional DLC packs that provide even more content.
2Viva Piñata
Filled With Fun
Viva Piñata
Viva Piñatais one of the most unique games I’ve ever played andmerges gardening with creature collecting.
Your goal is toattract adorable creatures to your gardenand make them residents. You do this by creating a garden they like the look of and meeting their needs.
I love Viva Piñata because the whole process is seamless. If you want to collect everything,your garden will change many times, and some Piñata have ridiculously specific requirements. Put it this way, if you want the lion Piñata, Roario, you’ll have to work for it and provide a food source.
Viva Piñata iscozy and accessible, and it’s a shame we only have two mainline games.
1Plant Tycoon
You Can’t Beat The Classics
Last Day Of Work
September 2007
Plant Tycoonis acomplex gardening simulatorthat takes place in real-time. Many havefond memories of the titlefrom when it came out on the iPad in 2003, and the Steam version from 2007 is the best place to enjoy it now.
InPlant Tycoon, you start with a small selection of seeds that must be potted, watered, and maintained. The fun starts when your plants mature, as you cancross-pollinate to create new variants.
The ultimate goal is to grow the “Six Magic Plants of Isola,” but considering there areover 500 plantsin the game, it will take a very long time.
Information is limited in the game, so I daresay you’ll want to jot some notes down if you’re serious about grinding for the Magic Plants. Thanks to the real-time aspect,Plant Tycoonis aslow-burner, but there’s enough content to keep you occupied for months or even longer.
